The Fresh Box

So Dave and I have switched up our fresh box order to start receiving a box called "Quick Fruits and Vegetables". We found with the box we were getting that not everything was getting used (like Kale and collard greens and heads of cabbage) - - - so the "QF&V" box is all raw stuff that can get eaten without any wild preparations.

You'll see this list and say to yourself "you could get all that stuff at the Safeway" - but I'll say to you that this is the most robust versions of these fruits and veggies I've ever eaten. Particularly the ruby red grapefruit is the best I've ever tasted - and the carrots and celery are sweet and crisp. anyways - here is this weeks' box contents:

• 2cnt Santa Barbara, Ruby Citrus, grapefruit
• 2lb Washington Enterprise Apple
• 1.5lb Salinas Salad Mix Lettuce, loose
• 1cnt Watsonville Strawberries Berries
• 1pnt Mexico Mixed Medley Tomato, cherry
• 1cnt Oceana Fresh Celery
• 1bu Salinas Nantes Carrot
• 4 Capay Artichokes
  
• .5lb Mexico Red Peppers, bell

The Rest is Noise

I'm reading Alex Ross' "The Rest is Noise: Listening to the 20th Century." A lushly drawn musical history of classical music in the last 100 years is pretty amazing. It starts with the Viennese premiere of Richard Strauss's Salome in 1906 and moves through the masters of the era. What I'm appreciating about the book is that its so approachable - discussing Strauss and Mahlers onagain/offagain relationship like they were alive today and being interviewed. For anyone with even a slight interest in classical music - this book is a must read. :)

Alex Ross wonders aloud why paintings by modernists such as Jackson Pollock sell for millions while challenging pieces of music, from Stravinsky's Rite of Spring onward, still make many listeners uneasy. You might recognize him as the classical music critic for the New Yorker and New York Times. Having immersed himself in the topic - he makes one of those most challenging centuries of "listening" something you can't wait to get started journeying through......